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Journalists in Osun
State, yesterday, suspended coverage of the activities of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state following
the assault on the state correspondent of the Leadership Newspaper,
Sefiu Ayanbimpe, by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Rufus
Akeju, at the premises of the commission in Osogbo.

The state council
of the Nigerian Union of Journalists has asked Mr Akeju to tender a
public apology to the victim and the union. The union also called for
the immediate removal of Mr Akeju and asked the police and other law
enforcement agents to investigate the physical attack on Mr Ayanbimpe
in the cause of his professional duty. The union, in a statement signed
by Gbenga Faturoti and Tunji Omofoye, Chairman and Secretary its
Correspondents Chapel respectively, described the action of Mr Akeju as
a gross violation of the codes of conduct and ethics of the commission.

The attack

Mr Ayanbimpe was
working on a petition sent by the state chapter of the Conference of
Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) to President Goodluck Jonathan,
alleging that Mr Akeju was close to the Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN) leader, Bola Tinubu. The petition also alleged that Mr Akeju
collected the sum of N25 million from the state government during the
last voters registration exercise, saying that he may not be an
unbiased umpire in the conduct of the April elections.

When the Leadership
reporter sought his reaction on the said allegations on telephone, Mr
Akeju allegedly asked him to come directly to his office. On sighting
him, Mr Akeju was reported to have thrown decorum to the wind and
beaten the reporter to a state of coma before he handed him over to men
of the State Security Services (SSS) who later detained him for several
hours.

Barbaric act

Mr Akeju refused to
offer any explanation for his action when reporters went to his office
after the assault. The union said Mr Akeju was in the habit of
harassing journalists who were carrying out their duties, adding that
he did a similar thing to the state correspondent of Punch Newspaper,
Tunde Odesola, whom he threatened to chase out of the state.

“We wish to state
clearly that for beating a journalist in the cause of performing his
legitimate duty, the action of the Osun REC, Rufus Akeju, was nothing
short of barbaric and uncivilized,” stated the union. “Akeju has been
so reckless and he is not fit to hold a sensitive position of
authority. We hereby call on the Chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega, to
immediately remove Akeju as Osun REC in order to give room for smooth
relationship between the press and the commission. Failure to remove
Akeju will certainly incur the wrath of all journalists in the state,
numbering over 500, on the commission.”

Mr Ayanbimpe, who was still on hospital bed at a private hospital in
Osogbo as at the time of this report, said he had petitioned the state
Commissioner of Police, Olusegun Solomon, on the matter.